Sabarimala temple row: Travancore Devaswom Board asks if protesters will end agitation if it files review petition

Amid the row over the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on Thursday offered reconciliation to the protesters and said that it is willing to compromise on the issue. TDB is a temple body which manages the Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala. Reaching out to the protesters, TDB president A Padmakumar said, “We are ready for any type of compromise to sort this issue,” as he asked, “If the board agrees to file a review petition at the Supreme Court, will the protesters end the present protest?” [caption id=“attachment_5405561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Devotees arrive to pay obeisance at Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala on Thursday. PTI[/caption] The TDB will meet on Friday to finalise its stand on filing a review petition. The development comes after a meeting of the CPM state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. The secretariat had reportedly been critical of the way in which the Pinarayi Vijayan government handled the issue. The TDB includes members appointed by the CPM. On Wednesday, the iron gates of Sabarimala temple were opened for the first time since the Supreme Court allowed women of menstrual age to enter the shrine. However, no woman from the previously “banned” age group could make it to its precincts amid protests and violent clashes. Tensions prevailed on Thursday and Section 144 of the CrPC was in force in several parts of Kerala. A  24-hour shutdown backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party was called in the state against Wednesday’s police attack on protesters who were opposing the apex court ruling. With inputs from Naveen Nair